What SEO actually costs, industry by industry
A national average tells a vet clinic and an HVAC contractor almost nothing. Each guide here compares the published prices of real providers in one industry, then works through the economics that decide whether SEO pays off there.
The short answer
Across the industries we have researched, published SEO prices run from under $100 a month for bundled or automated plans to $20,000 a month for multi-location campaigns. Most single-location businesses doing real local SEO land between $800 and $3,500 a month.
The more useful question is what a customer is worth to you, and what else you would pay to win one. That is what each guide below works out.
Why SEO costs different amounts in different industries
- What one customer is worth. A vet client who returns for years, or an HVAC replacement worth thousands, justifies a far bigger budget than a one-off low-value sale.
- How crowded the searches are. Industries with well-funded competitors and private-equity-backed groups push up what it takes to rank.
- What the alternatives cost. Where paid leads are cheap, SEO has to justify itself on the long run. Where they are expensive, it pays back quickly.
- Seasonality and urgency. Emergency-driven trades need pages ranking before demand peaks, not during it.
Industry guides
Each guide is researched individually: named providers with real published prices, what each price tier actually buys, and the maths specific to that industry.
Veterinary clinics
$89 to $20,000 per monthSix providers compared, the $89 free-build offer that comes with a 12-month term, and the client lifetime-value maths that changes how a retainer should be judged.
HVAC companies
$150 to $10,000+ per monthSeven providers compared, plus what one booked job really costs through SEO, Local Services Ads, Google Ads and Angi, including where SEO loses.
Vein clinics
$300 to $8,000 per monthMedical and aesthetic SEO prices compared, why a vein clinic is really buying two campaigns, and the patient value maths: about seven new patients a year covers a $1,500 retainer.
Looking at it another way?
See what SEO costs city by city, the national picture in how much SEO costs, or the strategy side in our industry playbooks.
Our prices do not change with your industry
A free checker, a full audit from $295 priced by site size, retainers at $900, $1,500 or $2,500 a month with no contract and no setup fee, and WordPress builds from $1,700. What changes between industries is the scope we agree on the call, matched to how competitive your market really is.
Common questions
Why does SEO cost more in some industries?
Mainly because of what a customer is worth and how many competitors are fighting for the same searches. Industries with high-value clients, such as legal, medical or HVAC replacements, attract bigger budgets, which pushes up what it takes to rank.
Do you charge different prices by industry?
No. Our audit and retainer prices are the same for every industry. What changes is the scope agreed on the call, matched to how competitive your market actually is.
Which industries have a cost guide?
Veterinary clinics, HVAC companies and vein clinics so far. Each guide is researched individually, so new industries are added one at a time.
Find out what your SEO should cost
Run the free checker for a rough snapshot of what is holding your site back, or get the full diagnosis from $295 before committing to anyone.